Goal apparatus for field hockey game



Sept. 7, 1965 A. SAYTAR 3,204,955

GOAL APPARATUS FOR FIELD HOCKEY GAME Filed March 21, 1963 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR. #W f Sept. 7, 1965 A. SAYTAR 3, 04,

GOAL APPARATUS FOR FIELD HOCKEY GAME Filed March 21, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

JMEL

p 7, 1965 A. SAY'II'AR 3,204,966

GOAL APPARATUS FOR FIELD HOCKEY GAME Filed March 21, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 fi M 3., 21

I NVE N TO R.

United States Patent 3,204,966 GOAL APPARATUS FOR FIELD HOCKEY GAME Andrew 'Saytar, 140 Glenview Drive, Port Credit, Ontario, Canada Filed Mar. 21, 1963, Ser. No. 266,965 2 Claims. (Cl. 273-127) This invention relates to improvements in ball games, and more particularly to improvements in ball games of the type usually associated with field sports and the like.

In many games, hockey in particular, the several variants thereof, i.e. ice hockey, field hockey and floor hockey all utilize vastly different equipment, especially with regard to the sticks and the goals.

In addition an essential member to the team is a goal keeper who is usually inactive for a greater part of the game but whose proficiency very seriously affects the result of the game, regardless of the skill of the other members of the team. Thus an extremely good team may consistently lose games due to the ineptness of the goal keeper and, conversely, a mediocre team may win or draw games purely on the merit of the goal keeper.

It is, therefore, an object of the present invention to provide a ball game in which identical good means may be utilized regardless of whether the game is played on ice, in the field, or in a gymnasium or the like.

It is another object of the invention to provide a ball game apparatus for use in a game in which the scoring of a goal depends on the skill of the attacking players and not on that of the goal keeper.

Yet another object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus so that a game may be played in which all the team members take an active part in the game at all times, particularly the player who would normally act as goal keeper, who may now play out with the other players.

A further object of the invention is to provide a game apparatus having alternative type goals in order to allow for the varying stages of skill of the players, in other words schools and minor league teams may have a goal requiring less skill to score than those supplied for major league teams.

It is another object of the invention to provide a goal means in which a game played therewith may be played to any suitable rules for any conventional game, most particularly the various types of hockey.

These and other objects and features of the invention will become apparent when the following description is read in conjunction with the drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is an exploded, part cut away perspective view of the goal assembly of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a plan view of the back board illustrated in FIG. 1 shown in its flat state prior to being assembled to the base board thereof.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the back board previously illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, shown in its folded state, ready for transportation.

FIG. 4 is an alternative design of back board to that shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, shown in perspective.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of the back board illustrated in FIG. 4 shown in its flattened state.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the back board illustrated in FIGS. 4 and 5 shown in a folded state ready for transportation.

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a playing field showing the goal assembly of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1 a goal assembly 20 embodied in the present invention comprising abase plate 21, a back board 22 and a back net 23.

Base plate 21 comprises a flat rectangular block 24,

3,204,966 Patented Sept. 7, 1965 "ice tapered upper rim 28 adapted to guide a projectil into hole 27.

A plurality of dowel holes 29 are also formed vertically through base plate 21 in a predetermined pattern and are adapted to slidably accommodate a similar plurality of dowel pegs 30 which depend from the lower edge 31 of back board 22.

Referring also to FIG. 2, back board 22 comprises a series of elongated rectangular walls 32 juxtaposed in edge to' edge relationship and joined by a plurality of hinges 33, said hinges 33 being arranged in alternate sets of four, as illustrated, to permit back board 22 to be given a W formation and, in this instance, one of said walls 32 is adapted to form the apex and two of said walls 32 form back walls at the juncture of the other side walls 34 and their respective inner side walls 35 forming the W configuration of back board 22 as shown in FIG. 1. A plurality of substantially semi-circular cut outs 36 are formed in the lower edge 31 of back board 22 and are of sutiicient size to permit a projectile to pass therethrough.

FIG. 3 shows back board 22 folded in a suitable con figuration for carrying, the outside walls 34 forming the wings of the W are folded hard against the apex wall, while the two back walls have been moved into close adjacency with each other.

It will be obvious from the drawings that dowel holes 29 are so positioned that upon dowel pegs 30 of back board 22 being inserted therein the W formation of back board 22 will be automatically assumed. Also from FIG. 1 it will be seen that a cut-out 36 is formed substantially centrally in each outside wall 34 and in each inner wall 35 and also in the back walls adjoining them.

Thus, a ball driven onto goal assembly 20 may be trapped in one of the holes 27 in base plate 21 or, upon entering either of the two compartments defined by the pairs of outside and inside walls 34 and 35 respectively of back board 22 may, if sufiiciently well aimed, pass through back board 22 via a cut out 36 to be finally arrested by back net 23.

Back net 23 as illustrated in FIG. 1 may be of any conventional type of mesh sufliciently small to prevent any balls passing therethrough which may be driven through back board 22. It is preferably straight, stretching at least the width of base plate 21 and located to the rear and parallel therewith, being supported by a pair of end posts 37-37.

From the foregoing description it will be obvious that back board 22 may be utilized in conjunction with base plate 21 or, if so desired, base plate 21 may be dispensed with, especially in a field game and the dowels 30 stuck into the ground to hold back board 22 in the W configuration.

Referring to FIGS. 4, 5 and 6, an alternative back board 50 to that illustrated in FIG. 1 is shown and comprises four plates 51 in edge to edge adjacency joined by hinges 52 to permit them to be folded in a W formation. Unlike the previously described back board 22 however, there are no cut outs or holes through back board 50 and it must necessarily be used in conjunction with base plate 21. A plurality of dowel pegs 53 extend downwardly from the lower edge 54 of back board 50 and these are adapted to slidably engage in dowel holes 29 in base plate 21 to hold back board 50 in the desired conformation as depicted in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 illustrates back board 50 folded flatly and 3 secured by a strap 55 or the like for ease of transportation or storage.

A game played with the apparatus herein described upon, for example, a pitch marked out as in FIG. 7 may have rules similar to that of a hockey game, there being no requirement for a goal keeper per se., the scoring of points through goals 20 being purely a matter of skill on the part of the players. Upon utilizing back board 22, points may be scored for driving the ball through cut outs 36 as well as for sinking the ball in one of the holes 27, while upon replacing back boards 22 with back boards 50, the only means of scoring is to sink the ball in a hole 27, thereby making scoring much more diflicult.

As previously stated, this game apparatus may be used under any standard conditions, the rules, of course, being changed if necessary to suit the nature of the pitch.

The embodiments of this invention in which an exclusive property or privilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. Goal means including a back board and a base plate; said base plate having holes formed vertically therethrough for the reception of a projectile and dowel holes therein, the forward edge of said base plate being flared downwardly and outwardly to form a ramp; dowel pins extending downwardly from the lower edge of said back board, said dowel pins registering with said dowel holes to retain said back board vertically, said back board being comprised of a plurality of walls, each of said walls being hingeably secured to the adjacent wall along the contiguous edges thereof to be retained in a W conformation, two of said walls providing back walls, four of said walls providing side walls defining two entrances small mesh size to prevent said projectile passing therethrough, and means supporting said net in a substantially vertical plane.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,023,094 4/12 Palmer 160-84 2,383,866 8/45 Kling 273-127 X 2,463,053 3/49 Pritchard 273-80.1 2,525,683 10/50 Keely 160-84 2,826,417 3/58 Marcoccio 273-129 2,991,083 7/61 Hartung 273-127 X 3,022,074 2/62 Grant 273-127 X FOREIGN PATENTS 1,015,614 8/52 France.

894,372 10/53 Germany.

176,724 3/22 Great Britain.

336,188 10/30 Great Britain.

634,857 3/50 Great Britain.

176,3 86 6/ Switzerland.

RICHARD C. PINKHAM, Primary Examiner.

LOUIS R. PRINCE, Examiner. 

1. GOAL MEANS INCLUDING A BACK BOARD AND A BASE PLATE; SAID BASE PLATE HAVING HOLES FORMED VERTICALLY THERETHROUGH FOR THE RECEPTION OF A PROJECTILE AND DOWEL HOLES THEREIN, THE FORWARD EDGE OF SAID BASE PLATE BEING FLARED DOWNWARDLY AND OUTWARDLY TO FORM A RAMP; DOWEL PINS EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE LOWER EDGE OF SAID BACK BOARD, SAID DOWEL PINS REGISTERING WITH SAID DOWEL HOLES TO RETAIN SAID BACK BOARD VERTICALLY, SAID BACK BOARD BEING COMPRISED OF A PLURALITY OF WALLS, EACH OF SAID WALLS BEING HINGEABLY SECURED TO THE ADJACENT WALL ALONG THE CONTIGUOUS EDGES THEREOF TO BE RETAINED IN A W CONFORMATION, TWO OF SAID WALLS PROVIDING BACK WALLS, FOUR OF SAID WALLS PROVIDING SIDE WALLS DEFINING TWO ENTRANCES TO SAID GOAL MEANS, ONE OF SAID WALLS PROVIDING AN APEX WALL RETAINING SAID ENTRANCES IN SPACED APART RELATIONSHIP, AND SAID SIDE WALLS AND SAID BACK WALLS HAVING CUTOUTS AT THE LOWER EDGES THEREOF WHEREBY SAID PROJECTILE MAY BE PROPELLED THROUGH ANY ONE OF SAIOD CUT-OUTS. 